It's a great time to be Jeff Garlin

June 12, 2003|By Allan Johnson, Tribune staff reporter.

There is nothing more deathly than watching improvisers who are clearly improvising.

So imagine how jarring it can be for a television series -- with most programs relying on scripts to make sure scenes are letter-perfect -- to employ improv. How do the actors not come across as if they are thinking about what their next thought should be?

"I'm not thinking about what I'm going to say," says Chicago stand-up-comedian-turned-TV-mogul Jeff Garlin, who is a co-star, co-creator and executive producer of HBO's Golden Globe-winning "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

Garlin, who returns this weekend to play Zanies, developed the series with star Larry David. For "Curb," David, co-creator of "Seinfeld," outlines scenes for actors to use as templates for improvised dialogue about the tortured life of an L.A. comic and TV producer named Larry David.

Garlin, who plays David's show-business manager on the series, is a Second City alum, and he has learned to be "completely in the moment and reacting to whatever the other actor, which is usually Larry, gives to me.

"The ultimate outcome, whether you see me on-screen or Richard Lewis [who appears as David's friend] and Larry, it has to look effortless," adds Garlin, 40. "And that's the thing about comedy. I think a lot of times comedy doesn't get the respect it deserves, because for comedy to work correctly it has to be effortless . . . and so people don't take it that seriously."

Both Cheryl Hines, who plays David's wife, and Lewis agree that a comic of Garlin's background and expertise enhances a show such as "Curb."

"He's one of the best improvisers because he's very good at listening, and that's really the key," Hines says. "He doesn't sacrifice the scene for comedic moments that his character has. He truly finds them in an organic way."

Adds Lewis: "When you know an improv guy is showing off, it's no good. [Garlin] just doesn't show off, he shows up."

Garlin's career is soaring now on several fronts.

"If there's anything I want this article to really say," Garlin laughs, "is it's a great time to be Jeff Garlin."

He has "Curb," which goes into its fourth season in January.

Garlin wouldn't give plot details, but he did reveal that David Schwimmer, Mel Brooks and Ben Stiller will be among the guests this season, and the show's finale will be a one-hour special set in New York.

Garlin is on the big screen with Eddie Murphy in the hit "Daddy Day Care" and hints that the script for a sequel, possibly called "Daddy Day Camp," is in the works.

And Garlin continues to do stand-up whenever possible. Friday and Saturday's Zanies shows will mark the 21st anniversary of Garlin's comedy career, capped by an appearance Monday night at the Museum of Broadcast Communications, in appreciation of "Curb" and Garlin's career.

"I'm actually a draw, which I find funny," Garlin says.

Garlin is preparing for his feature film directorial debut with the adaptation of his one-man show, "I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With." By shooting exterior scenes in Chicago this fall (interiors will be in L.A.), the film will bring him closer to his ultimate goal: making movies full time in Chicago.

"Based on how well that movie does will say a lot to whether or not I'm given opportunities to direct again, and whether or not I can eventually move back to Chicago," Garlin says. "If I wrote and directed a movie that I starred in and [it] is successful, they'll let me do it again. And if I don't, I'm going to have to stay here [in L.A.] and star in big-budget movies . . . oh, poor me."